"It's happening tomorrow. During the ball. We're getting you out."

I turned to see Sabine approaching me. She'd traded in her handmaiden's dress for a sleek dark cloak and trousers. Though she didn't have her hood drawn, the clothing cast shadows over her skin, melding in with the thick mass of her black hair. The metal of a concealed dagger glittered at her hip.

I averted my gaze. I still did not know how to talk to her or Darren. What Pierre had said hung over me. Was running away the only solution? I frowned at my thoughts. I was still in danger, still in Garnette, and no matter how much Pierre made me forget, I still had to leave. I was lucky they had found an opportunity so soon.

"I see," I said shortly, turning back to the book I had been reading. I had retired for the evening after dinner, spending the first night in my chambers in almost a week.

Sabine ignored the dismissal. I could feel her attention on me, and it made the back of my neck tingle. I swallowed. I didn't want to talk about this. Panic gripped me, urging me to dismiss her, force her away before she could say what I didn't want to hear.

"Most of the guard's attention will be on the ball. You will slip away early after Darren or I signal you, and we will get you out while everyone is distracted. We won't have another opportunity like this before your wedding date. Once we are across the border into Rosailles, we will send word to the Queen."

I closed my book, the pages snapping together with a dull thud, and I placed it on the table.

I couldn't stop avoiding this discussion. I lifted my chin, trying to seem more confident in my decision than I felt. "Perhaps I should not return."

The cult wanted me dead because they feared me, yet somehow, they had turned it around so I feared them. Running like a coward. Like I was guilty. Isn't that always what I was doing? Running away from things?

What if Pierre did do as he said he would and ask his father to have me marry him instead of Jourdon . We could expose Jourdon's terrible plans. Have him punished for his betrayal. Though it was hard to imagine Pierre taking the responsibility of Heir Apparent, I had seen a different side to him lately. Perhaps there was more of him he was hiding.

Sabine's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed. "It is not safe for you here anymore. Tonight, I am to attend another one of those vile meetings, this time the Crown Prince himself is rumored to be in attendance since he is home. Are you telling me you think it wise to prolong this charade?"

I tightened my lips. "It is cowardly to run away."

Sabine's jaw twitched and she crossed her arms. "I think rolling around in the gardens has started to make you lose your sense. I do not know what you see in Prince Pierre, but don't let him fool you. If the Aurelians won't have your head, the King will for you infidelity. And don't think for one moment that your precious Pierre will be there beside you. There is no one within these walls you can trust."

Anger prickled over my skin. The Angels sensed it, their whispers low and distant.

"How dare you judge me? You don't think I know that?" I balled my hands into fists, tearing my gaze away from hers. "A Rose Queen would not just run, she would fight. I cannot help but feel like I am letting them win." Tears prickled at my eyes, but I held them back. "I am nothing but a rose plucked from the gardens, painted and poised in an arrangement, completely powerless and at the mercy of others. That is not the way of my family, not the way of a Rose Queen."

Fabric rustled as Sabine approached, but she stopped a few feet away from me, just out of reach.

"I know," she said, her tone taking on a gentler quality from a moment ago, her irritation leaving her. "But right now, there is little we can do. We are outnumbered and I cannot allow anyone to harm you. It was a mistake coming here. Queen Laverne will see that."

I gave a small laugh. "Will she though? She sent me here in the first place." I remembered Pierre's words, their truth burning a hole inside of me. "She's the one who left me to fend for myself in a country that wants me dead, for what? Improved trade? Peace?" My voice was harsher than I meant it to be, betraying the tremble of hurt beneath. Saying it out loud, it sounded like a terrible joke.

 "I may not be her precious Heir Apparent, but I am the Rose Heir. The Angel's Gift runs through my veins! She has forgotten how special that is."

I stared at the Angels' portraits on my wall, waiting for Sabine to contradict me, get angry over my harsh words. The silence stretched out until, finally, I looked back at her. She had a contemplative look on her face.

"You're right."

Wariness crept through me. What I had said was a slight against the Queen, and therefore considered a slight against the Great Queen Mother herself. With someone as devote as Sabine, I never expected her to agree.

She glanced at the portraits around the room, the Angel's images surrounding us like sentient guardians. The whispers quieted for a moment as if they, too, were eager to hear her next words.

"It is not the way of the Rose throne to run and hide, and it is not the way of the Rose Queen to grow so complacent and comfortable that they forget why the Queen of Angels gave your line such power. We have forgotten, and I agree. You should never have come here. She played right into their hands. You should never be so far from Rosailles, your true home."

She stepped forward, stretching out to carefully place a hand on my arm. "Which is why it is important to me that I make sure you return home, where you belong. Once we are there, you can take up your thoughts regarding magic with the Queen. But until then there is nothing I can do. All I can do is keep you safe, so please, let me do that."

My anger melted away and looked into Sabine's eyes. This was the same woman who had pored over books with me, who had comforted me even when I had barely known her. She was not my enemy, even if I had treated her as one this last week. Her eyes were fierce with loyalty, her resolve unwavering. Even if my behavior had disappointed her, it did not change where she stood.

And she would always be by my side.

I let out a deep breath, placing a hand over hers where it rested against mine. We stared at each other for a long time, her dark eyes intense. I took in her features, the resolute set of her jaw, the fullness of her lips as they set into a straight line. My heart quickened.

It wasn't the same exhilaration I had with Pierre, it was different. It made me want to look away. But if I wanted to stop running, perhaps I should start by trusting her to do as she was trained to do. I believed Pierre meant what he said, but it was fragile. I didn't want to part from him but staying held a greater risk for me that it did for him. Perhaps one day we could meet again.

I hoped he understood.

"Very well," I said softly. I lowered my gaze. "You are right. I suppose I am afraid. It makes me reckless in ways even I did not foresee."

Sabine's hands shifted to clasp mine, tightening warmly around my fingers. "As would be natural in your position. I do not blame you. But do not worry, Your Highness." Her voice lowered to a passionate whisper. "I will protect you."

Warmth spread through my chest at her words, and I could not imagine how I had ever doubted her. We stayed like that for a long moment, the distance between us much closer than a guard and a princess should stand, even if the guard in question was a spy pretending to be her handmaid.

But Sabine had always been bold, and that was something I had grown to appreciate about her. It was uncomfortable at times; she had forced me to see things about myself I preferred to ignore.

Sabine broke away from me as she cleared her throat, ending the moment.

"I should be going."

I nodded, creasing my brows. The warmth of her hand lingered on mine. For some reason, the idea of her leaving now to put herself in harm's way unsettled me. Tonight, she was going to infiltrate another one of the Aurelians meetings. One last chance to get information before we left.

"Yes, you should." I licked my lips, looking up at her, feeling awkward all of the sudden. My heart continued to beat quickly.

She averted her eyes, nodding and turning to go. Then she paused, glancing at me over her shoulder as she drew up her hood.

"I'll be preparing with Darren tomorrow, and I will be late this evening. I likely will not see you before the ball. Just make sure you act normally, don't let anyone catch on." She hesitated, and I flushed deeper, realizing she meant Pierre too. I didn't have the heart to tell her that he already knew I intended to flee, even if he had almost convinced me not to.

"Yes, of course. I will."

Sabine turned, satisfied with my response as she headed for the door. Nerves fluttered in my stomach, a sensation of something not quite right.

"Sabine," I called just as she opened the door, my voice urgent.

Her expression was so caught off guard, had I not been feeling so anxious, I might have laughed. It was the first time she seemed to be as thrown off center as I usually was around her.

I brushed down my skirts, lifting my chin to hide my embarrassment.

"Be careful. I will see you again tomorrow night."

Sabine stared at me across the room, then one side of her mouth quirked into a small smile, her eyes softening.

"As you command, Ophelia."